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Friday, 24 June 2016

My Love Affair with Merrickville

Pretty, Peaceful, Irresistible

by Nancy Snipper

1840:
a beautiful B&B steeped in warmth and village history

My
infatuation with charming Merrickville began at the 1840 Guest House B&B.
Its historical foundation – not to mention its allure – is as
impressive as the splendid view it offers: Ontario’s Rideau River
Canal Waterway. 202 kilometres long with 47 locks, this 19th-century
aquatic wonder is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The
place to stay – a prime location with hosts in the know

Breezy
and impeccably styled, the 1840 Guest HouseB&B is owned and operated by Mike and
Dawn Zaversenuke – genuinely friendly folk who – just like the
villagers – are eager to make your Merrickville stay more than just
a jaunt or a peek into the extraordinary craft shops in the village. This couple is both knowledgeable and passionate about the
village’s history. Mike’s dedication to everything Merrickville
is as mesmerizing to the visitor as is the astounding artisan acumen
exploding at every corner.

Stone
buildings meet the eye and fuel your imagination

Mike
took me on a personal tour of landmarks, where he vividly turned
Merrickville’s history into a timeless place of wonder with facts
full of intriguing human stories. Merrickville is a time warp of
sorts. Just look at those crazy old houses – those cedar log
facades, stone exteriors, and wooden ornate carvings that seem to be
falling off the front.

They're calling for you to remember and love
the Loyalists of yore – the “Merrickville men” –
hard-working, sternly stoic settlers who built and settled with
their families into these very often freezing houses – many of
which are known to be haunted. Then again, I’ve always liked a good
ghost story!

Once
an Ontario strategically important site, Merrickville was abuzz
with some 58 industries of all kinds. It became a hub between Bytown (Ottawa) and Kingston and the construction of the
canal (1826-1832) surely contributed to this.

By 1860, Merrickville
had reached the apex of its industrial development, but about 30 years
later, it all came to a halt. Just a stone’s throw from 1840, the
setting wistfully evokes its past. He took me to the site where
the remnants of a towering stone wall boldly stand. This ruin once housed
Merrickville’s mighty wool mill. Is it any wonder that as far back
as 1800, the village used to be called Merrick Mills!

1840
B&B’s claims its own unique piece of history!

Mike
and Dawn have their own Merrickville tale to share about their
darling 1840 B&B. Know that you’ll be standing on ground that
once echoed the voices of children attending a one-room schoolhouse
dating back to 1829. So why is it called 1840? Mike will tell you
about three walls and what treasured inscription he discovered on one
while tearing down the interior walls of the structure. In 2012, the
couple bought the old Royal Canadian Legion, part of which had been a one-room school house. But its foundation was so badly
deteriorated, it needed a serious overhaul. The school house was
gutted, but the original ceiling beams are still there; its back wall
is still attached to the B&B. It took nine months of rebuilding
to create this “home away from home”.

Resurrected as bright,
sun-filled accommodations, this perfectly located B&B attracts
place visitors as far away as Australia and beyond, as well as Montreal
and Ottawa folks looking to relax on weekends. Many come to research
their own family heritage in the village’s library archives. They
are often able to find the home once occupied by their very own great
grandparents.

A
nook of paradise with tasteful appeal

Proud
of its 9.7-star rating from Booking.com, 1840 Guest House B&B’s walls are laden
with lovely quilts and visual prints pertaining to village history and the
Rideau locks with old maps and documents resonating bygone days.

1840 B&B’s interior gallery of vintage furniture also amplifies the
century-old village flavour.

A
sublime view is offered from a lovely balcony along and two of the
four bedrooms.

Each warm
bedroom has a queen bed and ensuite bathroom. Underfoot is a spanking
new oak floor; above hang stunning miniature chandeliers. TV,
fireplace and WIFI are all there too.

Take a look at the colourful,
meticulously crafted hand-stitched wall quilts, and the
extraordinary simplicity of scenic stained glass window art hanging
on the wall – all made by Dawn herself!

A
mecca of exciting shops with gorgeous goods

It’s
true: you can spend hours in the village, browsing and buying to your
heart’s content. Tourists and locals never tire of the whimsical,
the wildly wonderful, the fantastically appealing and the unique
high-end array of one-of-a-kind boutique shops. Each has its distinct
“personality”; you won’t find its duplicate anywhere else in
the world; and they’re just a step away from 1840 Guest House B&B. Your
first stop right beside the B&B should be the Whistle Post – a
place that would gain approval from all hoarders. Thousands of
nostalgia pieces, antique rarities and vintage everything to catch
your eye. These rare old objects go for unbelievably low prices,
thanks to collector and owner, Bill Kenny who opened up the store in
the early 1980s. Amazing as it is, Bill can tell you the provenance
of every item he sells – whether it’s a tiny thimble or a heavy
piece of furniture, like the old beautiful ice storage chest he has
there.

You may
want to head to Cherry Picked. Run by Lesley and Mitch Roquette, all
of the items are made in Canada – the quirkiest mixes with beautiful, quality products.

No one
dare miss this Merrickville winner: Mrs. Mcgarrigle’s. It’s run
by the champion of mustard-making herself – Janet Campbell.

She exudes an energy that matches the awesome bastion of beautiful food
garnishing goods – most notably the amazing assortment of
award-winning mustards – five of which garnered top- honour ranking
in a world-wide competition: Canadian maple, hot whiskey, red wine
and cranberry port and chipote lime.

Janet even grinds her own seeds
which she gets from Saskatchewan.This palette pleasing store
sells over a hundred different goodies, including olive oils,
chocolates and an enormous potpourri of everything connected to food.
Janet also teaches cooking in the store’s huge back kitchen, runs
an annual trip to Umbria for aficionados of Italian cuisine, and
invites chefs specializing in ethnic dishes to give cooking classes
right at Mrs. McGarrigle’s.

Two
iconic places that Merrickville is famous for: are Gray Art Glass and Alloy Foundry. Beautiful glass-blown objects both
functional and decorative are on display and for sale here. Made by
Michael Gray who apprentied under his father Kevin Robert. Gray started at
the age of 14, learning glass blowing techniques from his dad at the
gallery.

Michael runs and owns the gallery,
and gives classes in glassblowing there, as well. His witch balls with
strands of glass inside the colourful orbs are stunning. Oh, and by
the way, his fiancée, Liz Wardhaugh, happens to be a super nice real
estate agent, so you know who to call when you’re ready to make
Merrickville your home.

Alloy Foundry, owned by Carl and Linda Fage since 1990, is practically an “iron-clad” institution here. This fascinating landmark – the oldest in Canada – has been forging functional objects for Merrickville and beyond since 1840.

The Canadian government is one of their clients. An in-house
electric inductor is used in making wonderful address signs, plaques,
stoves, farm implements and custom-designed commissions.

Do
check out Sole Obsession for original style shoes, including pairs
made from jeans, and some exotic Indonesian wood sculptures that
Bali-loving owners Carl and Lisa Card bring back from their travels.

The
Merrickville haunting theme is absorbed in a fun store, called Wick
Witch. Owned
by LianneKulp-Aultman,
this mystic unique store specializes in soy-based candles of several
scents, soaps and creams (love her Bad Witch and Big Witch creams –
though both are smelly delicious). Lianne can create customize
scented candles right in your own teacups and mugs. Just bring them
in.
She
also sells sage rubs. Her sage acts
like a small torch of smoke when lit; the smoke eradicates all
negative energy in the room. She also has a mosquito repellent that
works much the same way.

The colourful Christmas store that's open year-round adds even more
sparkle to the village. Maybe, Merrickville ought to change its name to
Merryville!

Restaurants
that fill you up and feed your heart

1840
B&B’s Continental buffet serving table has yogurt,
cereal, fresh fruits, orange juice, coffee and muffins; it’s a
help-yourself style and at any time. If you yearn for a warm
breakfast, head to Main Street Family Restaurant and Patio. It’s across from the B&B. This restaurant has heaping
servings for all meals, and their service is so friendly and warm.
Their new smoked dishes are super. I had a smoked salmon wrap: very
tasty sauce in that one. Order a dish that uses their home-made
cheese bread.

Next
door is Mythos – a Greek restaurant with an outdoor terrace that
opened last December, and they’re packing in people because of the
quality of their great dishes; tongues wag about their popular pasta
and pizzas. Toppings on pizzas are piled so high, the Leaning Tower
of Pisa comes to mind. Mythos is mythic as far as Greek specialties
goes, Mythos’s chicken souvlaki in a fried pita, is so fresh and
flavourful. The spanokapita is sensational – no grease. The chef
and owner is Nondas – uncle to Manos who cooks up the Mythos menu
in the kitchen with fiancée Nicoleta. Manos – once the owner of
Cina Restaurant in Athens undoubtedly pumps up Mythos‘s
palette-pleasing success.

The
Yellow Canoe Café is known for its veggie fresh soup – I loved
their potato soup; and their cold mango, coconut and pineapple soup
is unbeatable. This busy popular place is a food favourite, and one
of the few places in the region to serve a vegan soup on a daily
basis. Everything here is healthy and very tasty.

There
are more meal-time places to choose from – from the exotic to the
mainstream. Meander along St. Lawrence Street and turn some corners for
more cuisine finds.

Finally,
you can’t come to Merrickville without enjoying the rapturous
home-made ice cream and Gelato at Downtown Ice Cream & Candy
Shoppe. Over 100 different kinds – all concocted by Shelly Innes,
the owner. Many of the fruit-flavoured
ones contain fresh fruit, because Shelley has a garden full of fruit;
the strawberry and rhubarb flavour has rhubarb right from her own
garden. She even makes her own peanut butter, fudge and toffee. I had
a deliciously yummy combo of peanut butter/chocolate and the terrific
tasting toffee scoop called, “Hokey Pockey”.

I
could go on and on about more Merrickville magic, but what is falling
in love without allowing for some surprises! I don’t’ think my
romance with this village is ever going to end. After all, I still
have walking trails, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, cruises on
the canal, miles and miles of more cycling (using 1840 Guest House B&B’s
bicycle), and another unexpected miracle to experience just a
heartbeat away.

The
Rideau Woodland Ramble comprises an amazing woodland series of
connecting gardens and trails. In 2015, it garnered the illustrious
Canadian Garden Tourism Award – Canadian Garden Centre of the Year.
There really is no other garden oasis like this one – so organic –
so sweet, so dreamy, and its gardens keep expanding with new
creations every year.

Located on 7 lush acres of woodland, this
verdant magical place also sells rare hostas (ranging from the
world’s biggest and smallest) grasses, conifers, magnolias and a
range of shrubs, trees and perennials.

As you weave amidst the
circular contours you’ll spy all kinds of ornaments, totem poles
and figurative fairies – many made of stone, crystal, clay and
other interesting materials. They peek out from the water lily pond,
trees, shrubs and branches. Rare and majestic, the six different
garden areas are reliant on the particular soil and positioning –
two major determinants for the type of growth that will flourish.

Started
more than 35 years ago, by geniuses David Dunn and Rob Caron, the
gardens reveal rapturous yet subtle natural splendor. They are
located at 7210 Burritt’s RapidsRoad 23 – only a
ten-minute drive from Merrickville.

Nancy's Books are sold on Kindle and at Paragraphe Bookstore, 2220 McGill College Avenue, Montreal

Beyond the Dream: Epic Solitude - Nancy's collection of Poetry & short stories. Contact nansnipper@gmail.com or Click on image to read article. Here is the link to Martin Barry's article: http://martincbarry.weebly.com. Book is also available on Amazon Kindle

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Nancy Snipper is also an accomplished singer/songwriter – banjo player and classical pianist. Her three CDs have garnered much media praise along with her performances (Canada, Mexico, Cuba). Her voice is astoundingly beautiful – velvety in her blues numbers, sensual and sizzling in her folk, rock and country compositions. Now you can own one of her CDs. For enquiries about owning her CDs and/or booking performances contact her at this email: sylvainmrichard@gmail.com. Her CDs help raise money for cancer research.

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Collaborators / Collaborateurs:

Sylvain Richard

Nancy Snipper

Note / Nota:

July 10, 2016:The beginning of a new and exciting chapter! Nancy Snipper's (a.k.a S.N.) first posting on her own blog: http://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.ca/********************************************************

To see all articles on a specific topic, scroll down to LABELS and click on desired LABEL. Full articles will appear one after the other that pertain to that label.Keep scrolling down to view more articles, and at end of page, click on OLDER POSTS to read more.Enjoy!